know you are closer and closer to the scene and what you and i heard earlier from a trooper tjust sounds like there is massive damage? >> reporter: yeah. really, by definition, this is a catastrophe, from everything we have seen and read and heard from the officials officials ann the ground. we are getting an idea, a better idea in terms of the injuries that are being, when you talk about more than 100 injured. a lot of reports of patients trickling into emergency rooms with chemical inhalation issues because we are hearing that there is a heavy smell of chemical fumes, toxic fumes in the air. obviously, at a plant of this nature, there are large amounts of chemicals and really, volatile chemicals. we don't know what is inside there, just yet. but we are understanding that the u.s. chemical scaift board

is expected to arrive in west texas, tomorrow afternoon. that is a federal agency out of washington, d.c. that will be dispatched. they investigate things of this nature. so we will be looking into what exactly is being housed in that plant, obviously, roars have to be kept. but when this happened, around 8:00 local time, 9:00 eastern, there were firefighters responding and trying to put out a fire at the fertilizer plant and then that explosion want reports of a fireball from 100 feet, launching into the sky, just absolutely incredible. it registered on a seismograph, 25 miles away. the center was a 2.1 seismic event, that's how earthquakes are measured. that's from the u.s. geological survey. the most stark and troubling news out of this. a press conference was held awhile ago and the official said

that the number of fatalities could not be confirmed. we have reports from the director of the emergency management services in that region that upwards of 70 people could have been killed in this accident. there was an apartment complex nearby. the official said nothing remains. it is miles per hour just a skeleton. and a nursing home, more than 100 people that had to be evacuated, reports of some of those residents injured. but they said that the casualty count was rising by the minute of the just an incredible situation when you talk about blocks, city blocks that appear to be leveled, the word used to describe the damage. it looks like a war zone.

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we heard the explosion, so

we hurried up and got into town. as we rolled into town, it was a situation to where we pulled up at the retirement home because we knew they would need help. all the windows were blown out, doors were gone. the ceiling was down. it was a situation to where we had -- the doors were out, all the glass blown out. when we would go into each room, there was sheetrock on each patient. all the lights were down, all the ceiling were down. >> how many people did you pull out? >> 16 people out of there. i carried two at one time to hurry up and get them out because i knew how bad it was. and then from there, we went to the next wing to make sure it was clear. >> this is a fox news alert, joining you from washington, d.c. where we continue to monitor the situation from west texas where a fertilizing plant

explosion has left dozens injured. there is still danger. there's a small flame still smoldering and there are toxic fumes being emitted from that facility. we have an alert that a large team of federal investigators are headed to central texas now to investigate that plant fire and explosion. and now we are joined by todd starns from fox news radio. todd, it's really alarming to know there's been so much damage done and there is still danger on the ground and around -- in fact, eight to ten blocks around that facility. >> elizabeth, you're absolutely right. this is a very dangerous situation. that's one of the reasons we have seen so many people evacuated from the area. earlier -- around gosh, 9:00 or 10:00 last night, we had reports that they were actually evacuating a triage area that had been set up on the high

school football field. one of the big concerns coming up in about half hour from now, elizabeth, when the winds are about to change direction, and the mayor was very concerned that if that happens they may have to evacuate more people as a result of these toxic fumes in the air. we've been talking all night about the power and the force of this blast. it took out just about everything within a five-block radius. a guy from austin, texas was talking to the "dallas morning news," and he was about five miles away at a convenient store, stopped in to get a coca cola. he says the lights went out, the explosion happened and you could feel nit your chest and ears, and he said that ceiling tiles and pictures on the wall actually broke. >> wow. you know what i was going to ask you? we've been talking about the

mass damage, but we're under the impression they're going to be searching all night. is there still a search and rescue effort ongoing now or are they just monitoring the situation? >> if you heard the press conference, you almost have to read between the lines a little bit. they are calling it a search and rescue, but everyone that needed to be at the hospital or needed to be treated was being treated. so they are going door to door. they're searching through the rubble of these homes and this apartment building that had been just devastated, hoping there might still be survivors. the big concern, of course, the firefighters, the first responders who showed up and caught in that blast. those were among the individuals that right now are unaccounted for. to give people an idea of how serious this is, this was ammonium nitrate that blew.

you might remember in 1947, in texas city, texas, a very similar thing happened. there was a fire on a board that was filled with 2300 tons of that stuff. it blew and it killed over 500 people. so this is what we're dealing with in west texas. >> wow. todd, thank you so much for joining us. todd starns from fox news the radio. you've been bringing us perspective there and the latest details. thank you so much. >> thank you, the elizabeth. >> for our folks at home, we heard from a trooper who said that it looks like iraq, and that the murray building in the oklahoma city building is a good comparison, showing you how much devastation we're seeing in west texas. stay with us. we'll have more information after the break.

this is a fox news alert. we continue to monitor the

situation out of west texas where we heard earlier there are more than 100 injuries in that plant explosion, and we also know there have been fatalities. we're hours away from a press conference where we're learn more. a large team of federal investigators are heading to central texas to investigate that plant fire that devastated the small town. we did hear from a press conference earlier this morning. take a listen. >> first of all, our hearts and prayers go out to the community here. it's a small farming community. they've always opened their arms to anybody who passes through here, and our hearts and prayers go out to them. this is an unbelievable tragedy that's happened here tonight. what we're looking at now, we have the gas companies turning the gas off to the areas where the explosion happened. we do not need anymore help.

you can get that out right now. the firefighters and ems are coming from hundreds of miles away. right now we're overflowing with help. tomorrow morning, the mayor will speak again. right now, we have tremendous amount of injuries, probably over 100 injuries at this time. we to have confirmed fatalities. the number is not current yet. it could go up by the minute. we're in there searching the area right now, and making sure that it's safe for any of the other people around there and the firefighters are trying to be safe and go back in. the wind is blowing, changing things. there's little small flames and they don't want the firefighters hurt or injured inside the blast area. i can tell you, i was there. i walked through the blast area. i searched houses earlier tonight. massive. just like iraq, just like the

murray building in oklahoma city. you can imagine what kind of damage we're looking at there. i know there was at least 75 to -- 50 to 75 houses damaged. there was an apartment complex that has about 50 units in it that was completely -- just skeletons standing up. there's a nursing home in the area with 133 people in the nursing home. we've got them evacuated. i don't know what injuries are there right now. all injuries have been removed to the scene and taken to hospitals in the waco area. we had numerous agencies helping us, all the way from the dallas-ft. worth area, we've had a great turnout to come out and help us deal with this tragedy we've had in this community. i wish i could give you more information. all the injured right now have

been taken care of. we're going to go back in and do another house-by-house search and see if any other victims are in the houses. that's going to be going on all night. we have a command post set up for law enforcement and the energy units also. we still have a triage center set up at the community center across the interstate from us. >> what's the status of the plant right now? >> it's still smoldering. right now, they did not give us an update, but there still is active, you know, other ingredients, but right now we cannot get firefighters in there. we're worried about people right now, not property. we want people to be safe. >> do you have a rough number on how many lives have been lost? >> i do not know right now. it's going to be a number. i can't give you a number right

now, but there is going to be a number, hopefully at 6:00 a.m. we'll know that. >> early estimates are 50, 60, 70 maybe? >> i cannot confirm or deny that. i wish i could tell you something, but i don't have that number. >> is this fire under control? >> the firefighters are not fighting the fire right now. it's still smoldering. there's not any large flames. but they're in the area but cannot get close to it due to the toxic fumes coming off of it. >> is there a danger of fumes outside the plant? >> there is. they cleared the area. it was about an eight to ten-block area they cleared and moved people back even further. half of that town over there is totally evacuated. what we're worried about now is when the north -- we're supposed to have a northern come through tonight. when that wind changes, we may have to evacuate on the other side of town. >> guys, i'm going to stop you now. let us get some more information.

>> as you heard from that press conference, we're hours away from learning more information we hope by 6:00 a.m. central time. in the meantime, we are hearing from governor rick perry. he did release a statement saying we're monitoring developments and gathering information as details continue to emerge about this incident. we have also mobilized state resources to help local authorities and our thoughts and prayers are with the people of west texas and the first responders. for those just joining us, there are about 3,000 people who do live in west text outside of waco. after the explosion around 8:00 a.m. last night, there are more than 100 folks injured. there are a number of fatalities in this incident, which we're learning -- we will be learning more about this morning. however, there is still danger on scene. there's still a small flame smolders. we know it is emitting toxic fumes. so there is an eight to ten-block area around that facility that is evacuated and

they are searching for folks who may be in their homes. stay with us here on fox. we'll continue to update you on this breaking situation.

we continue to watch the very devastating situation out of west texas, right outside of waco. around 8:00 last night, there was an explosion at a fertilizer plant. what we know is that more than 100 people injured and there have been fatalities. we are awaiting a press conference where we can learn just how many people have been killed in this incident. that being said, there's still an evacuate zone around the facility. joining us now on the phone is mike patel, he works in here by hillsboro. i want you to tell me that you're how many miles away and you still felt the blast from this explosion, is that correct? >> yes, we're about 19 miles

from west, and yes, we did. we felt the vibration and even the noise was pretty loud, as well. we thought it was an earthquake. >> were you inside the lobby at the time? so can you sort of set the scene for me and what you felt and heard? >> yes. i was at the front desk and when the noise occurred, the building sort of felt like it moved and the doors just automatically opened. so you know, it was a pretty hefty boom. >> now, there's a number of folks who can't go back to their homes tonight, and we understand that there's a weather system, perhaps we could pop up that radar where there may be more people who need to be evacuated in the next 24 hours. so are you housing those folks at this time? >> yes, we got quite a bit of them in already, and more are to come.

we are also getting calls to be on stand by. but like i said, we're already prepared to take care of these guys. >> are you hearing stories from families? i mean, people are probably coming in that can't go home tonight. i mean, it's got to be incredibly traumatic. >> yes, yes, it is. it's very hard to listen to some of these stories, people losing their homes and family members. you know, getting injured and everything. but we're doing whatever we can to take care of them here at our hotel. >> are you getting a good gauge? i mean, it sounds like homes were damaged up to ten blocks away. excuse me, four blocks away, the evacuation zone is ten blocks away. are you hearing stories about people who don't know the condition of their homes? >> no, not really. there are a couple of guys who

have said that they've seen their home, it's pretty damaged. they're not sure if they will be able to live back into that house. or have it rebuilt. but yeah, they're just all pretty devastated at the moment. >> now, my last question for you is just tell me about the folks in the community. this is going to be, regardless of how many fatalities we see, one fatality and one injury is devastating enough. tell me about the area that you live, mike, and what everyone is going through right now. >> i mean, this is a pretty small town, as well, hillsboro is maybe about 10,000 people. you know, we're all just being hopeful that everything gets resulted quickly and everybody is okay, and each and every one is found in the town. >> right. thank you for joining us, mike. we appreciate you helping folks

who don't have a place to stay and we appreciate you giving us a firsthand account of just how terrifying that was. thank you very much. >> you're welcome. thank you. >> joining us now on the phone is todd starns from fox news radio. he has been bringing us the latest information all night, and todd, i understand you have even more information this morning. >> good morning, elizabeth. and we do. we are -- we understand that even more people are -- they're beginning to tell us more people are being treated for injuries. nearly -- getting close to the 200 mark, with people hospitalized at the two major hospitals in waco about 20 miles away. also some of the more seriously injured patients have been flown to burn units in dallas. we also understand that some children have been injured, and think eve been flown to children's hospital in temple, texas. one of the interesting

components, though, is the power of this explosion. we understand from the u.s. geological survey that it registered an earthquake, a 2. 0 earthquake. that's how powerful this blast was. but you know, elizabeth, one of the things that we're seeing happen, and come out of this disaster, some that we saw happen in boston, is that people are giving of themselves and they're doing what they can to help their fellow neighbors. we understand that about 80 students at baylor university, which is in waco, they gathered last night for a prayer vigil and a candlelight vigil for the victims. we also understand that a lot of businesses around the area are opening up their doors to victims, like the home depot. they're staying open all night, offering generators, plywood,

whatever folks might need. >> todd, we thank you for joining us this morning. and if you have any new information, please bring it to us. you have been giving us the latest information all morning and we appreciate it. >> thanks, elizabeth. >> stay with us. we'll have more after the break, and the breaking news out of west texas.

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>> this is a fox news alert. we have been monitoring the very devastating situation out of west texas right outside of waco where a fertilizer plant experienced an explosion around 8:00 p.m. last night. we though there could be hundreds of injuries and there are fatalities. right now authorities are awaiting a press conference hours from now to give us an update on how many people unfortunately have died in this situation. kasey has made your way from dallas to west texas, and i understand you have now arrived. can you see anything on the ground, or is it too dark these early morning hours? >> elizabeth, it is too dark and it is also a situation where the media is being pushed very far back. we are in this media staging area, and you know yourself from being at a number of these types of scenes that the media starts to congregate in

an area. we are actually at an auction site parking lot where it is literally a sea of satellite trucks and news vans and crews from all over the state to assemble to cover it. we are not being allowed into the actual area of the blast because there are still -- there are still fears, still concerns some six hours after this explosion was first reported. in fact, texas department of public safety is just saying that right now the concern is that there is one unexploded tank that is apparently venting some type of a gas. it is coming from this fertilizer plant where the explosion happened 8:00 local time, 9:00 eastern. this is a fertilizer plant, fertilizer is extremely explosive and flammable and other chemicals on site. hearing reports that upwards of 5600 gallons of ammonia are

being stored at this location. preliminary reports indicating that is maybe what exploded. so we are trying to get that information nailed down. frankly we haven't had a lot of information coming out from authorities because it has been an all hands on deck situation as far as the first responders and the officials trying to deal with the dangers at hand, and also the victims not understandably a whole lot of time to brief the press. >> now, you spoke a little about how you are basically coralled in an area where you are safe. is there still danger to folks on the ground there? i know you mentioned there still could be a tank that unfortunately has not, i guess you could say, detonate and could essentially be a bomb, but the folks who live in an eight to ten-block radius are those folks in their homes or is that an evacuated area in this early morning? >> we understand it is an evacuated area. there are no residents i can

tell you that are in this particular spot. we don't know exactly where those people are hunk erred down. we have heard reports of red cross shelters that have been opened outside of the evacuation zone where people are gathering. like a similar situation that we have seen in boston this week where complete strangers have opened up their homes to strangers who do not live in the evacuation area and are allowing their fellow neighbor to crash there until the all clear is given. not in this area where we are. we are not seeing any of that. but certainly when you talk about a large area that is still under evacuation because of not only the explosion threat that still exists, but also the toxic fumes that are coming through the air because that is one of the concerns here. in fact, seeing some pictures coming out of there now where a rescue workers are wearing gas masks.

when we were coming in along interstate 35 into west, texas from dallas we could start to smell some type of a pungent odor in the air. don't know exactly what it is. i am obviously not a chemist or scientists, but it didn't smell right. that is is of great concern. some of the victims coming to local hospitals have been treated for inhalation injury. the stuff that is in the air is not good. >> unbelievable. stay safe and thank you for all of the information you have been providing us with. if you hear anything let us know. >> of course, thanks, elizabeth. >> thank you. for those of us just joining, we are keeping an eye on west texas. we know 50 to 75 homes have essentially dn demolished. a 50-unit apartment is a skeleton and a nursing home with 130 units that has been disseminated. we are keeping an eye on west, texas. please stay with us. we will have more for you after the break.

this is a fox news alert.

we are in washington, d.c. and keeping our eyes on this developing situation in west, texas right outside of waco where there was an explosion at a fertilizer plant around 8:00 p.m. last night when firefighters were responding to a reported burn, fire at the facility when the explosion occurred. that being said there are a number of folks in health care facilities and hospitals all over texas. joining us now on the phone is brett who is the ceo of the health center in waco. brett, thank you for joining us this early morning hours. we want to give our condolences to those families who are injured and those who can't locate their families at this time. >> thank you for having me, elizabeth. >> now, there is a lot of people we are hearing having difficulties getting in touch with their family members. we know that there are hundreds of people who were injured, and it has got to be a state of chaos right now.

can you tell us any advice for people in that situation? >> we have several phone numbers for the local hospitals, and i can tell you that we are manning our phones and i know they are at the other hospital across town at hillcrest, but let me give a couple of numbers out for folks looking for loved ones. they may be in one of the two hospitals in waco. providence our family emergency line is area code 254-761-7200. over at hillcrest baptist medical center their number is 254-202-1100. so the best thing they can do is just give one or both facilities a phone call and check in with us and see if we have one of their family members or friends or loved ones that they are trying to identify. >> so you said for providence it is 254-761-7200. >> correct. >> then for -- can you give me the hillcrest number one more time and we can put it up on the screen for folks at home. >> the hillcrest number is

254-202-1100. >> now in this situation, i think a lot of people are panickin what advice can you give to those family and friends? is it a waiting game? anything that you can tell them that will ease their nerves. jay it is a little bit of a waiting game. i think both hospitals are stabilized, and i don't believe we are receiving patients at this point. probably the same could be said for hillcrest. not sure that many more patients will be coming our way outside of people who may be walk ins or driving themselves to the hospital at this point. just be patient. i'm sure local authorities in west are going to try to get through all of the information, and i'm sure will release more information tomorrow morning as things become available. >> now we are talking about hundreds of people potentially being injured. that is a mass response effort. can you explain to